Improvement in track-cleaners



G. BUCK. Track-Cleaner.

Patented May 6,' 1819.

Fig]

Fig. 2

@www /fofm UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

GEORGE BUCK, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRACK-CLEANERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 214,990, dated May 6, 1879; application filed February 17, 1879.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE BUCK, of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut,haveinvented certainncw and useful Improvements in Track-Cleaners; and I do hereby declare that thefollowin g is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, whereby a per son skilled in the art can make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Like letters in the figures indicate the same parts.

My improvement relates to a cleaning device to be attached to street-cars and other railway-carriages to remove dirt or light snow from the track.

My invention consists in the mechanism which will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of my improvement attached to a railway-car. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, looking at the end of the car.

A is the platform of the car. B B are the forward `wheels, the rear of the car being supposed to have a similar pair. (Not shown in the drawings.) C C are standards attached to the frame of the car, upon the under side of the platform. D D are wheels running upon the track, attached to avertically-sliding rod, E E, upon each side of the car.

The rod E moves up and down in suitable slides or boxes in the standard C, and is furnished with a spring, F, which presses the wheel D down upon the rail. This slide and spring is to accommodate the vertical motion of the platform of the car for variable loads,

circumference of G comes in contact with that of D, these wheels having a proper frictional surface, so that the wheel G is driven by D. H is a round brush attached to the wheel G, and turning with it upon the same a-Xle. lts circumference comes in contact with the rail and brushes off anything that may be upon it. The circumference of the brush, it will be observed, turns in an opposite direction to the wheels which run upon the track, so that there is a constant pushing forward and brushing oif of obstructions.

A lifting mechanism can be attached to my improved cleaning device for the purpose .of raising it from the track when desired. This is not shown in the drawings, as it forms no part of my present invention.

What l claim as my invention is- The combination of the drivin g-wheel D, the driven wheel G and its attached brnshrH, the vertically-sliding rod E, and spring F with the body of a railway-carriage, substantiallyr as and for the purpose herein described.

GEORGE BUCK.

Witnesses:

WENDELL R. CURTIS, CHARLES B. WEAVER. 

